Protect Your Home Completely and Correctly.
Home insurance is a pretty powerful tool for homeowners. It’s there for you in times of disaster as well as for non-catastrophic events like theft, temporary living expenses and liability protection. But for your homeowner’s insurance to work correctly, you need to protect yourself fully. Burkhart Insurance does this by shopping a network of top-rated insurance carriers and finding a plan that covers your home at full replacement cost value.
How does Replacement Cost differ from Market Value?
Market Value is the price a buyer would be willing to pay to buy your house. Replacement Cost is the cost to replace or rebuild your home to its original standards if it were to be destroyed. It’s a best practice to always choose replacement cost when selecting your home insurance plan. Anything less and you’ll be digging deep into out-of-pocket costs – which add up quickly, even in small claims.
How do we ensure you have enough home insurance coverage?
The first step Burkhart Insurance will take to make sure you have adequate coverage is call a licensed inspector to review and measure your home in-person. This inspector enters information from your home into a computer system that calculates the estimated Replacement Cost Value of your home. Our dedicated agents are also a valuable resource when figuring your home insurance. We’ll ask you meaningful questions and work with you to ensure all of your possessions are covered the right way. For example, did you know that a standard home insurance policy only offers limited coverage for jewelry and firearms? Boat and motorized vehicles are also not covered if they leave your property.
How often do I need to revisit my home insurance?
Your Burkhart Insurance agent will shop our network of top-rated insurance carriers and create a policy that is tailored to you. Then, we keep in touch. If something changes in your life, talk to us and we’ll let you know if you need to update your plan. We also hold annual reviews to make sure your policy is kept up-to-date.
What if I need more coverage than my home insurance policy offers?
For some, extending the coverage limits is a smart choice. In this case, Burkhart Insurance recommends you look at adding an umbrella policy to help supplement the limits of your homeowner’s policy. This will give you higher limits and additional coverage for personal injury (including false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, defamation, invasion of privacy, wrongful entry, etc.). Most of these situations are not covered by a standard policy.
How do I bring my premiums down?
Most home insurance plans will provide a discount if you insure both your home and auto with the same insurance carrier. This can save you quite a few dollars. Discounts are also available for seniors, those that have a newly constructed home, homes with new roofs and more, depending on the policy selected.
Am I required to do a home inventory with my policy?
It’s not required but having an up-to-date home inventory on file is a good practice for any homeowner. It will make the claim process simpler and help move things faster. One of our favorite, free online apps for creating a home inventory is Sortly™, and there are additional resources and tips here.